


Arrested

by Pricefieldnerd



Series: Teen Titans: The Written Series [9]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Jail, Murder, OC, Self-Hatred, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 20:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15348228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pricefieldnerd/pseuds/Pricefieldnerd
Summary: Raven kills Terra in blinded rage and the police show up. Can the Titans convince them that Raven is a hero, or will the city forever know her as a criminal?





	1. Chapter 1

Arrested

Chapter 1

     The Titans were each in their rooms, trying to be alone for a while. Beast Boy was in his room playing video games, while Cyborg was in his room upgrading his computers. Robin was adding to his utility belt, and Starfire was spending time with Silkie. Raven was in her room meditating, of course. Stephanie was just in her room, simply playing the violin.

   Stephanie tried to play the song, _"See You Again"_ by Carrie Underwood, but kept getting struck with grief.

    _"Said goodbye, turned around, and you were gone, gone, gone..."_ Stephanie sang, dragging the bow across her violin for an ending. Tears escaped her eyes and fell down her face.

   "Steph?" A new voice whispered.

     Stephanie whipped around, facing the door. "R-Raven?" She stuttered.

   "C'mon, let's go for a walk," Raven told her. Stephanie stared at her friend for a moment longer, then put down her violin and bow on her couch and followed Raven.

     The two Titan girls were on the side of the street, walking and talking.

     "So... Why did you sing that song?" Raven asked, curious.

     Stephanie stayed silent for a moment, and then sighed. "It's one of my favorite songs by _Carrie Underwood_. The song's filled with feeling and-and emotion, and... It reminds me of-"

   "I understand, Steph," Raven murmured, interrupting Stephanie. "You miss them. I get it. I know what it's like to lose a mother." Stephanie realized that Raven had quoted what the blue-eyed girl said over a year ago when Raven's beloved mother died.

   "T-thanks," Stephanie murmured. Raven nodded, and the two girls kept walking.

     Suddenly, the girls felt the ground shake, much like an earthquake. They both stared around and saw someone that they least expected to see.

   Terra was in front of them, floating on a rock.

   "That must've been the 'earthquake' we felt," Stephanie realized. Terra faced them and smirked.

   “Well, then, there’s Blind Girl,” Terra smirked. "So, idiot, you're not blind anymore?" Terra taunted.

   "I'm not," Stephanie replied, her hands glowing with blue power.

     Suddenly, parts of the earth and street wrapped around Stephanie, and she immediately knew it was Terra doing it. The earth crushed Stephanie, hurting her.

   "Stop!" Raven yelled. "Don't hurt her!"

   "Too late." Terra murmured. Her hands glowed even more with yellow power as she squished Stephanie even more. The dark haired girl felt her back bending and something snap in her body. Stephanie went unconscious, but before she did, she saw Raven fighting Terra with everything she had.

 

   Stephanie gasped for breath, her eyes wide. She was on the hard ground on the street, with pieces of earth, rock, soil, and street surrounding her. She glanced up. Terra was on the ground, unmoving. Raven was close to her, but standing. She had her arms out in front of her as if she just pushed someone down. Then Stephanie realized that Raven's eyes were wide and she was panting. Stephanie stood up, feeling dizzy.

     Police cars were suddenly all around them. Guns were pointing at the girls. But then Stephanie noticed something very weird.

     No guns were actually pointing at Stephanie.

     They were all aiming at Raven.

     A cop came from inside of his car, wearing a bulletproof vest. He walked over to Terra and checked her pulse, then stood and shook his head. Everything that happened afterwards came as a blur to Stephanie.

   One of the cops came over to Raven, who had not moved from the same pose. The cop took her arms and started to place her in handcuffs.

   "You have the right to remain silent," He spoke those dreaded words. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

   "Miss, are you alright?" A different voice said to Stephanie. She barely heard it. She was watching her best friend get thrown into a cop car and taken away. Tears streamed down her face, and it felt like a waterfall.

   "Miss, your head's bleeding." The voice said. Stephanie turned around to face the person. It was a cop, male, about as tall as her.

   "W-where are they taking her?" Stephanie asked, suddenly feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

   "To jail. She has killed this young woman," The cop responded. Stephanie didn't believe it.

   "No." Stephanie said, facing the ground. She then looked at all of the cops, angry. "No, Raven wouldn't do that! She wouldn't kill someone!" A few guns were being pointed at her, and Stephanie stopped talking for a moment. Tears escaped her eyes.

   "You don't know her like I do." Stephanie told everyone around her clearly. "She's a Titan and she-"

   "She would've killed you too," Someone new spoke. Stephanie turned around, wide-eyed, and saw a tall man. "If we didn't take her away, you might have died."

   "N-no, we're friends. We're the good guys. She saved all of you from Trigon!" Stephanie screamed.

   "We need to take you to a hospital," The man said as if Stephanie never spoke. He put his hand on Stephanie's shoulder, preparing to take her away, too. _No. No. No. Not Raven, not me._

   "What I need to do is go home!" Stephanie yelled. Before anyone could protest, Stephanie flew in the air and towards the tower, tears flying out of her eyes. When she was in the tower, she searched for the Titans.

 

   "Hey, has anyone seen Raven or Stephanie?" Robin asked. "I don't have a good feeling right now." The four remaining Titans were in the living room, talking.

   "I haven't seen them," Cyborg murmured. "I'm gettin' worried."

   "Me, too," Beast Boy said. "I wanna make sure things are ok."

   "They might be, you never know," Robin said. "I just have a bad feeling."

   The door suddenly opened and Stephanie flew in. She stopped, panted, and faced her friends.

   "Rav... Raven..." Stephanie gasped, trying to catch her breath.

   "Raven what?" Robin asked.

   "Where is our friend?" Starfire said.

   "Raven... She's...." Tears once again escaped Stephanie eyes. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, and then remembered what the cop had said to her before she took off. _"Miss, your head's bleeding."_

   Before she could tell her friends where Raven was, Stephanie fell back, feeling as if a rock replaced her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

     Stephanie groaned as she opened her eyes. Something took her by surprise.

     Cyborg and Beast Boy were on the left side of a bed she was laying in, and Starfire and Robin were on the right side. Glancing around, Stephanie realized that she was at Jump City Hospital. And in a hospital gown.

     "Guys...?" Stephanie mumbled. Cyborg smiled with relief as she spoke.

     "Hey, you feelin' ok?" He asked.

     "Where's Raven?" Stephanie asked him before she could think of an answer to his question. Cyborg's smile soon faded.

     "I don't know." He murmured. "You ran to the tower and burst in the door to tell us, but you passed out before you could."

     "I don't remember..." Stephanie said. She tried hard to think back, but it made her head hurt too much.

     "Don't hurt yourself!" Cyborg told her. "Take your time to remember."

     "Look, I feel fine, and we've gotta find Raven," Stephanie told the four Titans. She tried getting off of the bed, but the Titans held her down. Struggling against them, Stephanie tried to kick them away. A doctor and nurse suddenly came in from a different room and ran over to stop Stephanie from getting away.

   "Guys, why are you holding me back?" Stephanie yelled. "We've gotta find Raven!"

   A sharp pain went through her arm, and Stephanie felt herself getting weaker. Feeling lightheaded, she collapsed onto the bed pillow, allowing the darkness to consume her.

 

 

   Stephanie woke up to pain in her head. She was still at the hospital, but only Cyborg was there.

   "Cy..." Stephanie murmured. Cyborg looked at her and quickly stood up, walking to Stephanie.

   "Steph..." Cyborg mumbled, grabbing her hand and holding it.

   "How long have I been here...?" Stephanie asked.

     "Four days," Cyborg answered. Stephanie widened her eyes.

   Tears suddenly escaped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

     "For what?" Cyborg asked, surprised.

     "For trying to fight my way out of here or just off the damn bed..."

     "You had a concussion and a broken rib," Cyborg told her. "It was natural to react like that."

     "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Stephanie asked, looking at her boyfriend.

     "No, you didn't. Stephanie, it's alright now." Cyborg promised.

     "No, no it's not." Stephanie murmured. "I remember now. I know what happened to Raven."

     "Then please tell me." Cyborg said.

     Stephanie nodded. "I-I was in my room, practicing verses on my violin. I was singing the song, _"See You Again"._ It-it reminded me of my family and I broke down. Raven came in asking me if I wanted to go for a walk. I-I know why she did, too. She just wanted me to clear my mind and go for fresh air. But Terra came along and... And she-" Stephanie broke off, trying to calm the tears that had exploded from her eyes. Cyborg put his hand gently on her face.

     "Hey, it's ok." He assured. "If it was Terra that scared you, well, she's not here now."

   "That's the problem." Stephanie told him, taking his hand and holding it.

   "What'dya mean?" Cyborg asked, looking confused. "I thought you hated Terra."

   "I did. But Terra... When she came along, she started crushing me with the earth. I passed out, but when I woke up, Raven was staring down at Terra. R-Raven killed her. She killed Terra." Stephanie explained. Cyborg's eyes widened. They reminded Stephanie of Raven's eyes, when she was being hauled away by the cop car...

   "Cops came. They pointed guns at Raven and even a few at me..." Stephanie whispered, trying not to break. "T-they took Raven away in handcuffs. She was in a police car. One cop told me that my head was bleeding. I guess when Terra was dead she released the earth that was crushing me and I fell on my head. I just hurried to the tower and... This happens..." Stephanie finished, her shoulders slumped.

   "We're gonna help Raven," Cyborg promised.

   "But how?"

   "Robin's workin' on a plan. I wanted to stay here with you." Cyborg told her.

   "Well, aren't you sweet?" Stephanie smiled. Cyborg smiled back.

   "I hate to tell you this," Cyborg's smile faded away. "But you're gonna be here until the doctor notifies us. Could be now, could be tomorrow."

     "Fine." Stephanie said, her smile fading away too. "Just don't get Raven without me."

     "I would never dream of it," Cyborg smiled again. He bent forward to Stephanie and they kissed. They broke apart after a few beautiful moments.

   "I love you," Stephanie whispered.

   "I love you, too," Cyborg said.

   "Can you stay with me?" Stephanie asked hesitantly.

   "Course I can," Cyborg smiled. He sat next to her on the bed and they stared at each other for a few moments, just smiling.

   "So..." Stephanie mumbled. "What now?"

   "Right now, you're free to go, if you would like." A new voice came up. Cyborg turned around while Stephanie stared in front of her. The doctor had come in.

     "R-really?" Stephanie asked.

     "Yeah. Your head looks alright now, but just be careful by your lower right rib. It's still healing," The doctor told her.

     "Oh, ok. Thanks!" Stephanie smiled at him. The doctor left, giving a final smile to both of the Titans.

   "Alright, let's go," Stephanie said, getting off of the bed.

   "Uh, forgetting somethin'?" Cyborg asked, stopping her. Stephanie looked down and realized that she still had the hospital gown on.

   "Oh, yeah," Stephanie laughed. "Whoops."

   "Here are your clothes," Cyborg said, finding Stephanie's clothes over on a chair in the room.

   "Thanks," Stephanie looked at her boyfriend, feeling embarrassed. "Um, can-can you like, turn around or something?" Her face felt hot, and Cyborg must've realized it, because he smiled.

   "Yeah," He responded. He turned around while Stephanie quickly got dressed.

   "Ready?" Cyborg asked.

   "Ready." Stephanie said, pulling her shirt down.

   "Alright, let's go!" Cyborg said, walking out with Stephanie.

 

   Cyborg and Stephanie got to the tower quickly, seeing their friends in the living room on the sofa, discussing how to get Raven out of jail.

   "Hey," Robin said, turning to the door. "You ok, Steph?"

   "Oh, gee, Robin," Stephanie frowned. "Terra's dead, Raven's in jail, I had a concussion and I have a broken rib. I'm peachy, what about you?"

   "Sorry." Robin apologized.

   "'Sorry' doesn't get Raven out of jail, does it?" Stephanie asked.

   "Got a better plan, then?" Robin said bluntly.

   "Better than sitting on the sofa discussing pointless rescues." Stephanie responded.

   "What's that?" Cyborg asked.

   "Tonight, we break into that jail and get our teammate back."

 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

   "Are you sure that's safe?" Cyborg asked Stephanie.

   "Safe or not, we're getting Raven back." Stephanie replied.

   "Steph-"

   "Cyborg, it's the only way to do it." Stephanie turned, facing her boyfriend.

   "But what if you or one of us gets caught and placed in jail, too?" Cyborg asked. Stephanie stopped, wondering what to do. Suddenly, her head exploded in pain, forcing her to fall to her knees. She held onto her head and slammed her eyes shut. Stephanie's head rung, as if her ears had closed and made that awful buzzing.

   "Stephanie?" Cyborg bent down next to her.

   "It hurts..." Stephanie barely mumbled.

     _Stephanie?_ A voice whispered in her head. _Steph, please answer me._

     The ringing slowly died away, and Stephanie opened her eyes. "R-Raven...?" She mumbled.

     "Steph, what's goin' on?" Cyborg asked.

     _Raven, are you trying to contact me?_ Stephanie asked through telepathy. The Titans had not used that ability for some time, so that's probably why Stephanie reacted like she did.

     _Oh, thank Azar!_ Raven sighed. _Ok, listen. I'm in some random jail cell, trying to act normal. Or, at least, semi-normal. But you have to get here. The guards and cops or whatever they are said that someone can visit me. You and Beast Boy, get here._

 _I-I'll tell him,_ Stephanie promised. _I'll see you ASAP._

     "Stephanie!" Cyborg shook her. Stephanie jolted, forgetting that she was surrounded by her friends. Carefully, she stood up with the help of Cyborg.

     "Beast Boy," Stephanie turned to her friend. "We need to go, now."

     "For what?" He asked, confused.

     "Raven contacted me through telepathy. Since we haven't used it in quite a while, I'm guessing that's why my head started to hurt." Stephanie explained. "She told me to bring you along and meet her in the jail somewhere. We need to go."

     "Right behind you." Beast Boy smiled. Before anyone else could say anything, Stephanie and Beast Boy made their way to the jail.

   "Can I help you?" A lady asked.

   "Yeah, uh, we're here to visit Raven," Stephanie told the lady at the front desk.

     "Follow him," The lady said, pointing to a guard. Beast Boy and Stephanie followed, nervous. The guard took the two Titans to the cell where Raven was at. Raven had been sitting on a stone bed, facing the floor. When Stephanie and Beast Boy showed up, Raven's eyes glowed as she walked over to them.

     "Raven..." Beast Boy murmured.

     Beast Boy put his hand in the bars, and Raven grabbed it, holding it lovingly. After a few moments, Raven spoke up.

     "So, what do we do?" She asked.

     "We got a plan," Stephanie whispered to her. "We're getting you out."

     "Stephanie..." Raven said seriously. "That's not safe."

     "Safe or not, Rae, we're getting you out." Stephanie repeated.

     "Just don't do anything stupid." Raven told her. "Don't do what I did..." Raven let her head slump a bit as her eyes lowered.

     Stephanie seemed confused. "Rave... What did you do?"

     "I killed Terra, Steph." Raven said, looking back up at Stephanie. Stephanie thought that Raven was on the verge of breaking down. "It was a stupid thing to do, but I did it. It's my fault."

     "Rave, don't do this to yourself," Beast Boy whispered.

     "Don't do what, Beast Boy?" Raven whispered. "Blame myself? I've got nothing else to do. All I can really do is meditate."

   "Rave, why are you...?" Stephanie trailed off, looking at her stomach. Beast Boy must've seen it too, because he gasped.

   Raven looked away, trying to avoid their stares. She covered herself with her cloak, too.

   "Rave..." Stephanie murmured. "Please don't tell me you're starving yourself. The food can't be that bad." Raven had looked skinnier than Starfire.

   "It's not that, Steph," Raven murmured. "Look, I-I know that Terra was one of our biggest enemies and that she hurt you more than you could ever explain," Raven said to Stephanie. "But I can't shake off the guilt of... of killing her. I can't..." Raven started shaking a bit, and she looked as if she wanted to cry.

   "You two have spent enough time here, so go." A guard came up behind them.

   "But-but she-"

   "Steph," Raven interrupted her. Stephanie turned back around to face her friend. Raven's eyes pleaded Stephanie to leave. "Please, just go."

   Beast Boy looked at Raven for a moment longer. "I love you." Were his last words before the guard took them away.

   Stephanie and Beast Boy stood together outside of the doors of the jail.

   "So... what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked.

   "Beast Boy, she's starving herself," Stephanie told him. "The guilt's tearing her apart. We've gotta get her out tonight, otherwise she'll most likely die in there."

   "We gotta get back to Robin," Beast Boy said. He transformed into a bird while Stephanie just flew into the air. They soon made it back to the tower.

   "Update on Raven?" Robin asked as soon as they were in the living room.

   "We have an update," Beast Boy said.

   "And it's not a good one," Stephanie finished.

   Robin waited in silence as Stephanie and Beast Boy explained what had happened.

   "She keeps blaming herself for killing Terra," Beast Boy started.

   "And that leads up to a much worse problem," Stephanie told them. "The guilt is literally eating her away."

   "What do you mean by that?" Cyborg asked, concerned. Stephanie looked up at him.

   "We have to get her out tonight," Stephanie said. "She's gonna die in there."

   "How?" Robin asked.

   "She's starving herself." Stephanie told him. "If we don't get her out, she'll die."

   "Then we're going now." Robin ordered. "Titans, go!" Instantly, they all got to the front of the jail.

   Stephanie stayed close to Cyborg, scared that she'd screw something up. But she was also scared of what might happen to Cyborg if they get caught.

   "We need to bypass security," Robin whispered. "Cyborg, see if you can take down the cameras, or freeze them." Cyborg nodded and began working.

   "Beast Boy, turn into something small and fly around to make sure there's no guards around. And Starfire, go on the roof. If there are guards, don't let them see you." Robin ordered. The two Titans went to work.

   "Stephanie," Robin mumbled. "You come with me."

   "What are we doing?" Stephanie asked, keeping her voice down as they walked into the jail.

   "Finding Raven and getting her out of here." Robin answered. "Go left; I'll take right." Both of them went separate ways.

     Stephanie was careful not to disrupt the prisoners while searching for Raven. She checked each cell, walking carefully and quietly. Finally, Stephanie found the cell that Raven was in.

     "Rave!" Stephanie called out, running to meet her. But she froze as soon as she looked in the cell.

     Raven was unconscious on the floor. One of her hands rested on her stomach, and Stephanie remembered that Raven had felt so guilty that she wanted to rot in there. Stephanie's eyes were wide with fear when she saw Raven.

   Suddenly, Raven groaned, slowly blinking open her eyes. She glanced at Stephanie, and then looked as if she didn't recognize her.

   "S-Steph..." Raven murmured. "G-go..."

   "Not without you, Raven," Stephanie said clearly. She tried pulling the bars to break them off, but couldn't. Tears flew out of her eyes as her hands turned red.

   "Stop..." Raven whispered. "Don't hu-hurt yourself, Steph."

   Stephanie's hands slipped on the bars, making her trip backwards into the wall. Panting, Stephanie used her powers to tear off the bars, one by one. After an effort, they were off. But Raven didn't look alive at all. Stephanie went into the cell and grabbed Raven bridal style, carrying her back to where she and Robin split up.

   "Steph, I can't find-" Robin broke off at the sight of Raven. She still had her hand on her stomach, but she had fallen unconscious again.

   "We need to get her somewhere." Stephanie said seriously.

   "Steph, we gotta-"

   " _Now_!" Stephanie screamed at him, anger flowing off her in waves. Instead of waiting for an answer, she flew back to the tower with Raven in her arms. Stephanie shot through the window and quickly went into the medical room. She put Raven on one of the beds and began setting everything up, feeling suddenly dizzy.

   The monitors were making one sound: the long, dead beep as the line raced straight across the screen. Tears shot out of Stephanie's eyes as she stared at the screen in disbelief.

   "No!" Stephanie shouted, running to Raven. She put her hands on Raven's chest and began to push on it, performing CPR. She continuously did this for several minutes.

   "Come on, Rave! You can get through this!" Stephanie said. The Titans had quickly made it to the tower.

   "Stephanie!" Cyborg yelled from the door. Stephanie didn't even turn her head. She just kept pushing on Raven's chest.

   "Steph, come on," Cyborg said, walking over to her. "You're in shock; we gotta get both of you to the hospital.

   Stephanie panted, stopping CPR for a moment. _Shock..._ The word went over in her mind. _Shock. Shock. Shock._

   "She needs a shock!" Stephanie realized. Stephanie's eyes turned blue as she shot power at Raven to shock her.

   "Stop!" Beast Boy yelled.

   "Make me." Stephanie said, shocking Raven with her power even more. But still Raven made no move.

   "Please! Do something!" Stephanie screamed, shooting more power. Sweat dripped from her face and she felt dizzy.

   Robin tried grabbing her and pulling her away, but Stephanie resisted. Instead, she swung at Robin with her arm, and then widened her eyes as she realized what she did.

   And just like that, everything hit her.

   _Danny, Mom, Dad, Raven..._ Stephanie felt tears roll down her face.

   "I couldn't save Mom, I couldn't save Dad," Stephanie said out loud. "I couldn't even save Danny. Why would I think I could save Raven...?"

   "Get Raven." Robin ordered Starfire. She nodded and picked her friend up, then flew towards the hospital. Beast Boy turned into a bird and flew beside Cyborg, who was being carried by Stephanie.

   "It's my fault. It's my fault. It-it's my fault." Stephanie kept repeating, blaming herself entirely.

   "Stop it, Steph." Cyborg said.

   "No!" Stephanie yelled. "It's all my fault. I just had to sing that stupid song! I'm an idiot. Why can't I just forget?"

            "Stop blamin' yourself," Cyborg told her. "C'mon, let's go save Raven."

 

 

     Once the Titans got Raven to the hospital, they were ordered to remain in the waiting room. The Titans had sat in chairs, but Stephanie couldn't sit for anything. She kept walking around the room, occasionally glancing at the TV they put on the wall. Stephanie crossed her arms, anger and concern pulsing in her.

     "C'mon, Steph," Cyborg whispered to her as he walked up beside her. "Can you at least sit down for a while?"

     "I killed Raven." Stephanie murmured. "It's my fault."

     "Stephanie, it's nobody's fault," Cyborg assured.

     "If I never sang that stupid song, then maybe Raven wouldn't have overheard." Stephanie mumbled. "I don't care what you say. It's my fault."

   "Babe-“ Cyborg cut off as he saw the door open.

   "Anyone here for Raven?" The man asked. He had a clipboard in his hand.

   "Us." Robin said, standing up. Stephanie and Cyborg walked over to the rest of the team, waiting.

   "Well," The man continues, looking at his clipboard and adjusting his glasses. "It says here that Raven is alive, but she needs to stay here for a few more days."

     "Understood." Robin nodded, relieved. Stephanie sighed with relief as she heard that Raven was going to be alright.

     "She's awake; would you like to come see her?" The doctor asked.

     "Of course," Robin told him. The Titans followed the doctor down a few hallways and into a room where Raven was. She was lying on the bed with her eyes closed as if she was asleep. Once the team came in the room, she slightly opened them.

     "Raven?" Beast Boy asked, coming up beside her.

     "Hey," Raven murmured. Beast Boy slipped his hand into Raven's and they held onto each other.

     "Are you doing ok?" Robin asked, concerned.

     "Better than earlier." Raven answered.

     "I will give you guys some time." The doctor said, smiling. He walked out, shutting the door behind him. Raven sighed.

     "What happened?" Raven asked.

     "What'dya mean?" Cyborg wondered.

     "I mean, why does Stephanie look like that?" Raven glanced over at Stephanie. Stephanie was taken by surprise. "And what happened before I was here? I knew Steph was there trying to get me out of the jail, but the next thing I knew I was..." Raven stopped.

     "Rave, you _died_." Stephanie told her. "I was terrified. We all were. You starved yourself, Rae. You couldn't take that and you died."

     "That explains why you look so defeated." Raven murmured. "And it also explains how I saw Arella."

     "You saw her?" Beast Boy asked, surprised.

     "Well, I kinda died," Raven said. "So yeah, I saw her."

     "I wish I could see my mother again." Beast Boy murmured, hardly audible.

   "Don't you go dying on me," Raven said, squeezing his hand.

   "I won't, Rae," Beast Boy smiled.

   "Steph," Raven looked at Stephanie. Startled, Stephanie stared at her, eyes wide. "What's wrong with you?"

   "W-what?" Stephanie stuttered.

   "I can feel your emotions," Raven told her. "And right now you're-"

   "I'm fine, Rae, just a bit shaken, that's all." Stephanie said.

   "Don't lie to an empath," Raven said. "You're shaken up, yeah, but it's more than that. You're blaming yourself, aren't you?" Raven asked.

   "No." Stephanie declined immediately.

    "Steph-"

     "Raven, you freakin' died!" Stephanie finally hollered. "I sang that stupid song and you overheard! It's my fault," Stephanie's voice cracked as a few tears flew out of her eyes. "I should've done something else instead of trying to sing. I should've thought about something else. I-"

     "Snap out of it!" Raven snapped. "Steph, it's not your fault. If, at all, it's mine. I was the one listening to you. I... I thought it was nice how you were remembering your family. Then I heard you cry a bit and I thought that you'd wanna take your mind off of some things. That's why I took you out of the tower."

     Stephanie froze, staring at Raven. "R-Rav, I..." She began feeling dizzy, and her legs gave out on her. Stephanie started falling, but Cyborg and Robin caught her before she did.

   "Come over here and sit down," Cyborg ordered, he and Robin helping her walk over to two chairs on one side of the room.

   "You feel guilty, right?" Raven asked.

   Stephanie nodded, unable to speak.

   "Well, stop," Raven told her. "Steph, it's not your fault at all. _I_ killed Terra. _I_ got thrown in jail. _I_ starved myself. _You_ had nothing to do with it."

   " _I_ sang the stupid song," Stephanie said. " _I_ thought about my past. Rae, it's totally my fault, and you all know it." She looked up at the team, but suddenly felt lightheaded. Cyborg put his hand on Stephanie's shoulder to steady her.

   "I-I'm fine," Stephanie insisted.

   "No you're not, Steph," Cyborg whispered. "You feel warm. You gettin' sick?"

   "I-Uh..." Stephanie whispered, trying to think of something to say. "Stars..."

   "Steph?" Cyborg asked. But Stephanie barely heard him. Darkness surrounded her as she fled the room in unconsciousness.

 

     Stephanie woke up with heavy pain in her head. She groaned as she opened her eyes slowly and looked around. Stephanie was still in the same room Raven was in, but everyone else besides Raven was gone.

     "Steph?" Raven asked.

     "W-what?" Stephanie mumbled, eyes wide.

     "You passed out. Like, three seconds ago. Everyone went to find a nurse or whatever."

     "I-I feel fine," Stephanie insisted.

     "You were in shock, Steph," Raven told her. "According to you, I died and you couldn't take that. You were in shock. My guess is that you passed out because your body and mind can't handle so much... sadness and stress."

     "I suppose..." Stephanie murmured. "But-"

     "Miss, are you ok?" A nurse came in with the Titans behind her.

     "I'm fine." Stephanie told her. "I was just... Shocked, that's all."

     "Well, I'll still look you over to make sure you're completely fine," The nurse smiled.

     "Fine by me," Stephanie shrugged, standing up. She glanced back at Raven and smiled. _I love you, Rae._ She lipped. Raven smiled back.

     _Love you too, Steph,_ Raven said through telepathy. Stephanie's smile got bigger as she followed the nurse out of the room.

 


End file.
